1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates, generally, to air cooling or air conditioning devices. More particularly, it relates to a portable air conditioning device that is carried by an individual.
2. Description of the Prior Art
“Swamp” or evaporative coolers are commonly used in hot, dry areas. They require a constant supply of fresh air such as from an open window. They providing a continuous output of cooled, humidified air which is a product of evaporation caused by the input air cooling as it flows through a wet air permeable wick driven by a fan. Evaporative coolers are usually large in size and require external power from a conventional household power supply. They include a reservoir with a pump component that continuously saturates the wicks.
Evaporative coolers, even if made smaller, still could not be carried by a user from place to place in view of the need for a household power supply, nor could they be used in places such as picnic areas or amusement parks where no such power is available. The required reservoir also makes portability impractical due to spillage and leakage problems.
Portable misting fans or misters also provide a cooling function. These devices include a reservoir to store water and an atomizer to expel the water in tiny droplets. A fan is typically supplied as well to blow the droplets onto the user's head or face. Evaporation of the atomized water cools the user and the surrounding air. Although portable and personal in function, the primary disadvantage of all misting fans or misters is that excessive amounts of water are dispensed during normal operation. This soaks the users' clothes, causes inconvenience when engaged in activities such as eating, and also dries the skin if used excessively. Such devices produce a cooling effect on the skin rather than cooling air and therefore such devices are not personal air coolers or air conditioners as those terms are defined in this disclosure.
This there is a need for a self-powered air cooling device that does not require a conventional household power supply so that it can be truly portable. There is also a need for an air cooling device that includes no water reservoir so that leakage and spillage problems associated with portable reservoirs are eliminated. The needed device should be very compact and light-in-weight so that it has a personal size scale that is efficiently used by a single user. It should be easy to use, easy to maintain in a clean condition, and should be designed so that it can operate for long periods of time.
However, in view of the prior art taken as a whole at the time the present invention was made, it was not obvious to those of ordinary skill how the identified needs could be fulfilled.